BJP hits back, says people of India rejected Rahul Gandhi

Former union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad reacted sharply to the Congress leader’s “death of democracy” barb.

Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday, August 5, 2022, accused him of "blaming" Indian democracy and its institutions for the Congress' repeated defeat in polls under him and the ongoing ED probe against him in the National Herald case.

Shortly after Mr. Gandhi's press conference here, former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Congress leader made "shameful and irresponsible" comments and noted that it was his grandmother and then prime minister Indira Gandhi who had suspended people's democratic rights by imposing Emergency.

The former Congress president had earlier alleged that India is witnessing "death of democracy" and anybody who stands against the government's dictatorship is "viciously attacked".

Slamming him, Mr. Prasad said, "Stop demeaning the institutions of India to safeguard your corruption and misdeeds... If people don't listen to you why are you blaming us." If people saw dictatorship, it was during Emergency when people, including opposition leaders and editors, were jailed, judges superseded and censorship imposed. Indira Gandhi had then spoken about having "committed judiciary," he said.

"Why do you blame democracy when people of India reject you with repeated regularity," he added and asked Gandhi if there is democracy within his party which has some "good leaders" but it is all about the Gandhi family.

Rahul Gandhi had made all kind of allegations against PM Modi during the 2019 polls as well but people elected him with a bigger mandate, he said.

Raking up the Enforcement Directorate's case against him and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, mr. Prasad said he must answer as to how Young Indian, a firm in which the two Gandhis have 76 per cent stake, allegedly acquired National Herald's assets worth over Rs 5,000 crore with the investment of only ₹5 lakh.